Sponge Species Distributions and Ecological Interactions in Apalachee Bay

Despite their simple appearance sponges are extremely diverse and complicated in their interactions with other organisms, and they are extremely difficult to identify to species. Often sponges of the same genus or body shape have very different ecological interactions, so proper identification of the species is a necessity. With proper identification, it's possible to see what species characteristics may influence the ecological interactions. One of the major goals of this study was to look to see if distribution patterns had shifted in years since previous studies. I looked at sponges from four different locations and identified them to the lowest taxonomic level possible. I include detailed descriptions on the identification process including any discrepancies discovered while attempting to identify the species. Overall, we found 37% of the sponge species reported in 1963 by Little and 36% of the sponge species reported by de Laubenfels in 1953. We also added several species neither had reported. I also looked at some of the ecological interactions in this area and tested starfish feeding choices of local sponges. For Echinaster spinulosus there was no clear pattern of rejection and acceptance, but a gradient of consumption, from 100% of trials to 0% of trials. Overall our findings reflect the complicated and diverse nature of sponges in both the identification process and their ecological interactions. Species identification and experimental results offer a tantalizing preview of how interesting further delving into the sponge distribution patterns and ecological interactions in Apalachee Bay will be.